The private security industry employs more than 500 000 registered security officers across South Africa. This is a substantial amount and companies, therefore, need to provide adequate support and management to ensure that security officers are effectively protecting the assets they are employed to safeguard. They need to ensure that reliable real-time data can be collected to substantiate the success and address potential issues and monitor the performance of security officers during their assigned patrol. Moreover, guards should be equipped with the tools to easily record and respond to incidents, to be able to request backup or emergency services.
There are several options to consider when choosing the right security device for your security operations: flexibility, accuracy, functionality, and the ability to record empirical data are but a few. There are furthermore numerous solutions available on the market that claims to be complete solutions yet offer only limited functionality. For example, with baton technology, the guard carries a hand-held device when patrolling; as he passes the checkpoints, he presses a button, which records the time and location whereafter the data is downloaded from the baton to a software application – in other words, a basic approach with limited data feedback and certainly no real-time feedback. Baton technology should therefore not be confused with or equated to Bloodhound’s holistic approach to workforce management solutions.
Bloodhound Technologies has since its infancy been focused on innovation and breaking new ground in the communications and technology sector. In 2005, before the smartphone era, Bloodhound developed and manufactured a custom-made ruggedized device targeting the security industry. These devices used RFID readers and tags to manage and monitor the location of security guards while on duty. A central management system was developed to distribute certain tasks to each security guard. After a few years of success with this device, smartphones were introduced to the market and Bloodhound saw a great opportunity to introduce new product features by replacing the custom designed ruggedized devices with smart devices. This would not only enrich the product but also provide customers with a better experience, increased functionality and reduced manufacturing costs.
In this first of three posts, we evaluate Bloodhound Technology’s guard patrol solution and compare it to the more traditional devices such as baton technology.
Bloodhound’s smart device approach
The Bloodhound solution is premised on the notions that as a security service provider, you need to ensure that:
- your security guards are in the right areas, performing their required tasks, at the correct time;
- your security workforce is optimally deployed to deliver the best possible service;
- you have the best tools to measure and report on your security workforce’s overall service delivery; and
- your security operations systems are working most effectively to deliver the best financial return on your investment.
Bloodhound has developed a suite of mobile applications that is widely used by field staff in various industries to reliably record key business activities and routines. These mobile apps (such as AndRover) are responsible for the control and real-time communication of all field activities to Observer, Bloodhound’s single data management cloud.
Observer provides authorised users access to a comprehensive Administrative Module, ensuring that the client has full control over all system configurations including:
- scheduling;
- routes planning;
- checklists/inspections/audits; and
- exception escalation.
Observer offers a powerful Control Room module that provides clients a comprehensive view of all live field activities. Guide control room operators are required to respond to all exception-based alarms generated by Observer and will accordingly through all remedial steps.
The underlying value of Observer is its ability to analyse and report on the large volume of field activities in a constructive and easy-to-read manner. Observer’s reporting tool offers clients a wide variety of standard reporting options. Users can subscribe to automated reports for daily, weekly and monthly views. Bloodhound’s smart mobile device applications ensure accurate, real-time field data that can be used for activity summary reports, efficiency overview reports, trend analysis and industry-specific benchmarking to name but a few.
Finally, File 13, Bloodhound’s Android app specifically designed to ensure that critical inspections, audits and other field activities take place at the CORRECT LOCATION and at the CORRECT TIME, does away with all those laborious clipboards and manual checklists that are difficult to analyse and provide little to no pro-active value to your business.
Bloodhound provides you with peace of mind by leveraging modern technology to solve every day challenges.